


What Does One Say?

by Meddalarksen



Series: War and Tulips [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Free Verse Poem, Gen, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-05
Updated: 2012-06-05
Packaged: 2017-11-06 22:22:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/423922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meddalarksen/pseuds/Meddalarksen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of WW1, Austria finds himself considering the placement of blame and who can claim it after a conflict of that magnitude.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Does One Say?

What does one say

when there’s nothing more to hear? 

When the booming of the guns

and the swirling of the smoke finally stop? 

How does one respond

when all that was ceases to be? 

The failing of a life. 

          The failing of a love.

 The failing of a world. 

All are the failing of a man.

 A nation. 

 

How does one respond when a sometime enemy—

recently ally—

appears in a mood ill-befitting him? 

How does one reply

when he puts forth his own guilt

as the greatest in the last set-to? 

How does one comfort

the one that never desires it? 

 

One doesn’t.

 

Instead one falls behind the mask of indifference. 

The mask of unfeeling. 

The mask that says: we all had a part in it

and you’ve no right to self-pity. 

Even though,

deep down  
you feel the same as he does. 

Without his influence  
you wouldn’t have lost her. 

Without him  
you would still stand strong as an empire. 

Without him.   
Without him.   
         We would all be better off.

 

That’s not true

and you know it. 

Without him  
there would be no one to blame. 

Without him  
there would be no reason for irritation. 

But without him  
you’d have to admit your full responsibility. 

Without him  
there would be a hole in the world. 

Without him  
the world would miss a great nation. 

Without him  
your strongest ally wouldn’t be who he is. 

Without him.   
Without him.   
         We would fall.

 

His strength is waning,

but so is yours. 

You’ve lost large parts of you. 

Your servants are gone,

as is your wife. 

Without him  
they would still be here. 

No. 

Without your own pride

and sense of indignation. 

Look at you

a once great nation

who can’t even determine the best course of action. 

You could have refused. 

You could have left them well enough alone. 

But.   
You.   
         Didn’t. 

Because you didn’t  
you lost her. 

Because you didn’t  
you lost them. 

Because you didn’t  
your children died. 

Because you didn’t.   
Because you didn’t.   
         We have fallen. 

 

Without that pride who are you? 

You are a musician. 

An artist. 

But certainly not a great nation. 

If you gave in to everything

you would have been overrun years ago. 

Your pride is too great. 

It is a quiet pride

but woe betide the fool who injures it. 

Without your pride

there would be  
no you. 

There would be  
no empire. 

There would be  
no harm. 

There would be  
no war. 

There would be.   
There would be.   
         Peace.

 

You are no better than he. 

You sent your children into war  
over what? 

At the urging of another  
to what end? 

You lost  
your children. 

You lost  
your wife. 

You lost  
your damnable pride. 

 

What will you do now? 

How does one forgive

what one does not hold as true? 

He wishes for forgiveness.

All you can think is that it should be you. 

Your sin  
is no less than his. 

You cannot hold him accountable. 

The others may hate him. 

 _You_ may hate him. 

But you cannot blame him. 

No. 

Never that. 

 

You can only blame yourself.


End file.
